by Ian Michael Anzlowar, UCI | April 6, 2021 Yosemite National Park is among the sites in the western U.S. that have experienced more frequent and intense wildfires in recent years. Steve Zylius / UCI In southern New Jersey, deep in an isolated, desolate forest known as the Pine Barrens, a small group of men trudge through the woods, behind them a charred trail of smoldering underbrush. This is not the work of criminal arsonists but a controlled burn conducted by members of the U.S. Forest Service. Scattered throughout the area are small sensors tracking atmospheric pressure, wind speed, air temperature and other factors and sending this data 3,000 miles across the country to a computer on the desk of Tirtha Banerjee, UCI assistant professor of civil & environmental engineering.